It didn’t take long to find Billy Horschel. One day after the Floridian shot a disappointing four-over-par 76 in the final round of the Irish Open and fell into a disappointing tie for 45th place, he was on the range at Wentworth. Working on his swing was clearly a top priority, but equally, Horschel knows for sure that this was a place where good vibes are a given.

Starting on Thursday, Horschel will compete in the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship over the historic West Course, known as the “Burma Road”. And already his record is well beyond impressive. The winner here in 2021, the 36-year-old has never been outside the top 10 and is 47-under for the 11 rounds he has played (last year’s event was shortened to three rounds because of the death of Queen Elizabeth II). His average score is a little south of 68.

“I do have something of a love affair with this tournament,” said Horschel, a smile replacing the look of deep concentration that formed his expression as he addressed the mid-iron shots he was hitting. “This is only my fourth time actually playing here at Wentworth, but it feels like I’ve been coming to the BMW PGA Championship for a lot longer than that. I grew up watching this event from afar on television and always wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t do a great job early in my career when it came to making it over here, but when I did back in 2019, my already high expectations were exceeded. Everything about it impressed me. Only this morning I told someone if I could play this tournament 25 times a year, I’d be a very happy man.”

Predictably, the course plays a big part in Horschel’s enthusiasm for an event that has (under various sponsorships) been a permanent fixture at DP World Tour headquarters since 1984. If the roll call of past champions can be used as evidence of quality, Wentworth passes even the closest scrutiny. Since ’84, 10 major champions — Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Angel Cabrera, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Danny Willett and, last year, Shane Lowry — have inscribed their names on the trophy, as have eight-time European No. 1 Colin Montgomerie (three times in succession) and former World No. 1 Luke Donald (twice in succession).

That’s a powerful list.

Billy Horschel celebrates winning the 2021 BMW PGA Championship. Richard Heathcote

“The golf course is a big part of that,” Horschel said. “It’s just beautiful. it requires you to drive well and hit good iron shots. If you’re off a little bit you, have to scramble well. The greens are not too undulating, but they are always interesting and thought-provoking.

“Throw in the 25,000-plus fans we get every day, you’ve got yourself a seriously impressive occasion. In fact, because the trees are so close to the action it always feels like there is more than 25,000 watching. It’s so exciting and feels like a massive event.”

And yet, a perennial problem continues to exist. Even now that the BMW PGA is played in September, after the FedEx Cup, rather than in May, as it was before 2019, Horschel is almost alone in his American-accented enthusiasm. Only a few from the States feel inclined to play in what the seven-time PGA Tour winner calls “a top-six event in the world.” This year only five are in the field.

“I’m disappointed that more of my compatriots have not come,” he said. “I understand some guys want some time off after the FedEx Cup. The US Ryder Cup team was in Italy over the weekend. I wouldn’t expect them all to come and play here, but I thought some would welcome the chance to play an event in European conditions before the Ryder Cup. They could still go home next week and prepare.”

Speaking of the Ryder Cup, Horschel is far from alone in contending that the obvious reluctance of so many of his fellow PGA Tour players to travel is a factor in why the US is currently looking to win the biennial contest on foreign soil for the first time in three decades.

“I hear people asking why America hasn’t won a Ryder Cup over here in 30 years,” he said. “Maybe some of it is the financial stranglehold the PGA Tour has over the game. We just don’t have to travel the world in order to make a lot of money. Which is a pity. It’s not as if our top players aren’t good enough or smart enough to adjust to the courses. But add it up and the end result is that we have been losing on courses the Europeans are a lot more familiar with.

“I preach every year to guys on the PGA Tour that this is a great course for them,” he continued. “There are guys whose games are made for Wentworth. And I know if they did come, they would love everything about this place. I mean, London is right there, a city that offers everything in entertainment. Plus, given the support I get from the crowds here, I have to think guys like Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas would get an even bigger reception, because of where they are in the world of golf.”

Billy Horschel poses with the trophy and with greenkeeping staff after winning 2021 BMW PGA. Andrew Redington

As for the future, Horschel is torn by what he sees is ahead for the BMW PGA. On one hand, he hopes the different landscape that will surely prevail in professional golf worldwide in 2025 means a more prominent place for one of his favourite events. On the other, that might mean the rank-and-file on the DP World Tour missing out because of the event being co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour.

“I would love to see more Americans playing here,” he underlined. “But that worries me, too. Would this event be diminished in a historic sense? It’s been a staple of the European scene for so long, I’d hate to see a lot of the guys over here not get to play. Would something be lost if that was to happen? It’s a fine balance. And I can’t quite decide. I certainly don’t want the European guys to lose this special event. But to get the recognition this event deserves that might have to happen.”

Such an eventuality would also threaten the length of a short list Horschel is more than proud to be a part of. In the long history of what many refer to in the UK as “the PGA”, only two Americans have emerged victorious. Horschel was the second of those, the first Arnold Palmer in 1975, when the event was played at Royal St George’s.

“To have my name alongside one of the greatest players in history and one of our game’s biggest ambassadors, means so much to me,” he said. “I’ve clearly done something right. I’d love to win it again and have one more than Arnie. That would be really special.”

And with that, he went back to beating balls.

The post Billy Horschel professes love for Wentworth and laments his peers’ disinterest in one of his favourite events — the BMW PGA Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

As Billy Horschel made his way to the interview area after a third-round 63 that left him tied for the lead at the Wyndham Championship, a nearby television monitor showed the CBS coverage, where a different interview with Horschel was playing — the infamous near-confessional after his opening 84 at the Memorial. With tears flowing, Horschel told reporters that his confidence was “the lowest it’s been in my entire career”.

That honesty and vulnerability guaranteed that his words would go viral, but what’s often lost in that interview is something else he said that looks more and more prophetic:
“It’s funny, as low as it feels, it feels like I’m not that far off at the same time. Which is insane to see when you see me shoot 84 today. … It wouldn’t make sense to a lot of people. But I don’t think I’m that far off.”

Two months later, Horschel has made good on those words in Greensboro and now has a chance to nab his first win of the season. He’ll play in the last group on Sunday at Sedgefield Country Club with Lucas Glover, also at 18 under following a scorching 62, and Russell Henley, who held the 36-hole lead and will chase from a shot behind following a 65. (On this course, 65 is somehow akin to running in place.)

Horschel switched from a Ping to Odyssey putter this week to get a better feel for his long putts and to try to cure a left miss, and currently leads the field in strokes gained/putting, which says it all. On Saturday, he made three birdie putts of 10 feet or longer.

When asked if there was anyone specific who helped him as he tried to change June’s tears into August’s triumph, Horschel dropped a surprising name: former West Ham United star Mark Noble, who played for the English Premier League side from 2004 to 2022. Known as “Mr West Ham,” Noble now serves as the club’s sporting director.

Horschel, a Florida alum who lives and breathes Gators American football, might seem to be an unlikely real football fan, but he’s been a diehard’s diehard for more than 15 years. It started when he saw the film “Green Street Hooligans”, a drama about West Ham supporters, and today he not only watches every match, but has the club’s crest on his bag. He calls, like many US fans, soccer “football”, and when he’s among UK company, he’ll even go so far as to use the term “American football” for the ‘other’ version of the game. (You have to imagine there are at least a few Gainesville tailgates that would kick him out for that kind of transgression.)

In 2021, after winning the WGC-Match Play, Horschel got a text from Noble — who knew he was a supporter — congratulating him on his victory. They struck up a friendship, and before long the two were playing together, and today they meet up when Horschel travels abroad. Through Noble, he’s got to know some of the club’s owners and players. And when Horschel had his low moment at the Memorial, Noble was one of the friends who reached out — and the first one Horschel thought of on Saturday when asked.

“He’s a West Ham legend,” Horschel said. “He actually texted me two days [after the Memorial meltdown]. He said: ‘Hey, sorry I’m two days late, but I couldn’t write this text because I was so emotional writing it.’

“We are very much wired very similar … he was like, ‘listen, there’s a lot of times I would come home, and I would cry because we were playing so bad, or I’d be doing everything I can to get the team to play at a higher level and it wasn’t happening.’

“Just him sharing that with me,” Horschel continued, “him telling me … how great of a player I am and a person I am. Just those little things. Even though I may know that about myself, it never hurts to hear that from people that you love a lot.”

Noble certainly wasn’t alone in reaching out. Horschel was inundated with support from friends and strangers alike, and today he credits that moment for helping him turn his game around.

“It was sort of like a release,” he said. “I don’t fully understand why it happened then and there, because I had shared some of that with my team and my family before leading up to that. But right then and there it just happened; from that moment I’ve been in a better head space, the game’s been going in the right direction since then.”

When told that it was a good advertisement for why men shouldn’t repress their emotions, Horschel went broader.

“I don’t think anyone should,” he said. “My wife, with her addiction to alcohol and mental health issues, I think learning more about that side of it. I’ve tried to tell people, I said: ‘Hey, just share it with somebody.’ It’s amazing how when you can just get it off your chest, you feel a little bit better about yourself that you’re sharing it with someone. And you never know what happens when you do share it with someone. They may be feeling the same thing you are, and they can relate. … I wish more people would be more open and more honest, but I know everyone’s not that way.”

A year before his press conference at the Memorial, in June 2022, Horschel won that tournament. It remains his last victory, but thanks to his openness, his willingness to work, and the help of a group of friends that includes an English soccer star, he’ll have a chance Sunday to revisit the Memorial in the best way possible.

The post Noble gesture: Wyndham co-leader Billy Horschel got back on track with help from West Ham? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The way Billy Horschel sees it, he can’t lose. But deep down in his gut, he has to very badly want to be in Memphis, Tennessee, next week and not splashing around with his kids in the blue, warm waters of the Bahamas.

Horschel entered the week with only an outside chance to reach the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs — and the 2014 postseason champ still needs a solo second or better in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. But the 36-year-old is halfway to that goal after he shot a career-best 62 on Friday to be alone in second, one shot behind leader Russell Henley. The effort included holing out from 94 yards for eagle at Sedgefield Country Club’s eighth.

“I realised a couple months ago,” Horschel said, “there’s a really good chance I may not make the playoffs based off the way my game is going, so I was just more or less trying to focus on getting the game back in the right shape and getting some momentum going into the fall, which would hopefully carry over into ’24.

“I’m still in that same mindset. I have a trip planned with my kids and my wife to Abaco Club [in the Bahamas] next week if we don’t get in. It’s a win-win. So we’ll see what happens this weekend.”

Friday’s second round was an edgy, grinding, emotional trip for the golfers who are still battling to not only be among the top 70 in the standings who get into next week’s first week of the post-season in the FedEx St Jude Classic, but also keep their hopes alive of earning full-time status for next season. For the first time, only the top 50 after Memphis (heading into the BMW and Tour Championship) will keep their cards. The rest must battle in the autumn.

There were some big runs, including one from a guy who needed it very badly. Justin Thomas was one shot outside the cut after he bogeyed the eighth hole on Friday, but he rallied with four birdies over his last 10 holes to shoot 64 and climbed into a projected 74th spot in the standings. That’s still not good enough, but missing the cut would have given the 15-time tour winner no chance to make the playoffs and could have dashed his hopes of being a US captain’s pick for September’s Ryder Cup.

“I was going to give it the best I had and shoot as low as I could, whether that was 65 or 75 today,” Thomas said. “Fortunately for me it was a 65. I’m just going to go do the best I can and just give it everything I have this weekend because I don’t have much to lose.”

Heading into the week, Thomas needed at least a solo 18th finish, and he heads into the weekend T-21.

Of the players who entered the week in positions 60 through 70, six made the cut — Horschel, Sam Ryder, Matt NeSmith, Cam Davis, Vincent Norman and JJ Spaun. Those who didn’t reach the weekend were Mark Hubbard (currently projected at 60th), Sam Stevens (61st), Aaron Rai (62nd), Beau Hossler, and Ben Griffin (70th).

Griffin shot 70-73 to miss the cut, and as the last guy currently inside the bubble, he’s holding out only small hope his season isn’t over.

“I’ll probably practise this weekend and try to get ready for next week,” Griffin, 27, said. “If I don’t get in, obviously I’ll have quite the long time off. So, it’s kind of an interesting scenario I’m in. It’s not a scenario I want to be in, you would much rather be in control of your destiny. I’ll just have to wait.”

Playing alongside Griffin was Austin Eckroat, who entered the week at No. 70, missed the cut with a pair of 71s and has no chance for the playoffs with a current projection at No. 72.

The two good friends resorted to gallows humor down the stretch on Friday.

“The last three holes we tried to determine how many hole‑outs we both needed to make the cut, and none of us had a hole‑out,” Griffin, 27, said. “There’s not much you can do when you’re four or five out with a few holes to go except try to have fun out there.”

Of those who stood 71 to 80 in the standings and still figured to have a shot at getting into the playoffs, four made the weekend — Davis Thompson (with a current projection of 71st), Thomas, Matt Wallace (76th) and Shane Lowry (78th).

The post PGA Tour Bubble Boys: Horschel’s huge charge, JT stays alive and some youngsters take a fall appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In case you haven’t noticed, Billy Horschel has adopted a classic NHL move and gone to a “playoff beard”. Well, it’s technically not a playoff beard because the PGA Tour playoffs haven’t started yet — and Horschel isn’t close to qualifying for them yet — but you get the point. After what’s been a well-documented difficult season, the seven-time tour winner is willing to do anything to turn his luck around.

“Yeah, the beard’s going to stay around for a little bit,” Horschel said on Tuesday ahead of this week’s 3M Open. “I don’t plan on shaving it anytime soon. I’m hoping that the game starts to turn around, I start playing well and I’ll keep it. I do like the way I look with a beard a little bit, it does change the way I see myself.”

But apparently, he’s also willing to do almost anything for his most loyal sponsor. Including, potentially, cutting the beard.

“But I guess the only time I would know I would have to shave it is if maybe a Ralph Lauren photo shoot that I have to do in the fall,” Horschel added. “I don’t think the beard — not that they would be against it, but I’ve just never done a photo shoot with them with a beard, so I would shave it for them if that’s something they want to do.”

Now that’s a company man right there! And what organisation would make a 36-year-old grown man shave his beard? Oh, right. The New York Yankees. Even as a Yankees fan who can’t grow a beard I think that policy is ridiculous.

But back to Billy, talk about the perfect sales pitch guy. That’s even better than Stewart Cink talking about his travel difficulties getting to last week’s Open Championship, but refusing to mention Delta by name “because of the name that’s on my shirt”. In case you don’t get it, that name is Delta.

Look, we don’t blame these guys. They’re getting paid a lot of money to wear those logos so it makes sense to keep the people writing those cheques happy. Well, and to keep your significant other happy. Although in this case, Billy claims the beard was actually Brittany’s idea.

“As of right now, yes, she does,” Billy said of whether Brittany still likes the beard. “I’m sure like any female who kisses a guy with a beard, you do get poked in the face a little bit with the whiskers that we have, so hopefully it’s not too bad for her.”

Hey, if Brittany can put up with it, the people at Ralph Lauren probably should be able to as well.

The post Billy Horschel’s reason for potentially cutting his beard proves he’s the ultimate sales pitch guy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Billy Horschel is a heavy practicer. One of the hardest-working players on tour, when it comes to the driving range. But before rounds, that good quality can backfire. He can get lost hitting too many balls. All that does is leave himself sapped of energy, short of time, and full of swing thoughts.

So as Horschel explained to the DP World Tour before his first round at the Genesis Scottish Open, his caddie at the time Scott Vail (who is now on Keegan Bradley’s bag), began arranging his golf balls in small groupings.

.@BillyHo_Golf explains why his caddie meticulously lays out his golf balls on the range?#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/1EMMvCPqEs

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 13, 2023

“I know that with this setup I hit [40] balls, and it’s going to take me about 25 to 30 minutes to hit all my golf balls,” he says. “I’m always on track. I’m not going to get lost in time.”

Horschel says he does it “the same way every time.” Here’s how it breaks down…

Billy Horschel’s 40-ball warmup routine

• 5 balls lob wedge
• 5 balls sand wedge
• 5 balls gap wedge
• 5 balls 9 iron
• 5 balls 6 iron
• 3 balls 5 wood
• 3 balls 3 wood
• 5 balls Driver
• 2 balls 7 iron
• 2 balls PW

It’s a simple, clever way of providing him a sense of structure and routine. Something maybe the rest of us should try, too.

Also, notice how many shots he hits with his wedges and short irons? It goes back to the 68 percent rule which is a big key to better practice.

The post The caddie-inspired range ball routine this tour winner uses before every round appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The seven-time PGA Tour winner missed the cut this past week at the Travelers Championship, shooting over par on both days at TPC River Highlands. Which, if you watched how the tournament played out with a 68.4 scoring average, is, well, not good.

But not playing the weekend at the Travelers turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because Billy played on Sunday with his wife, Brittany, instead. And she did this:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Billy Horschel (@billyho_golf)

Yep, a hole-in-one. These guys gals are good, too.

And not just any hole-in-one. A 4-hybrid? From 190? On the ninth hole at the Country Club of Fairfield? That’s Golf Digest’s No. 3-ranked course in the state of Connecticut.

Like her hubby, Brittany also played college golf at the University of Florida so she’s a stick. She says in the video that it’s her second hole-in-one. And who knows? Maybe it’s also exactly what Billy needed to get his own game back on track.

Keegan Bradley played mini golf with his kids last Sunday after missing the cut at the U.S. Open and look how he did this week. Regardless, congrats to Brittany. And please, don’t toss that golf ball away.

The post Billy Horschel witnesses his wife make a hole-in-one, proves missing the cut can be a good thing appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Billy Horschel was all smiles as he wrapped up a Tuesday range session ahead of the Travelers Championship. Less than three weeks before his face had told a much different story.

Following an opening-round 84 at the Memorial — as the tournament’s defending champ — an emotional Horschel fought back tears as he opened up about his recent struggles on the golf course. “My confidence is the lowest it’s been in my entire career,” he said that day.

Horschel was applauded for his candid comments. Heck, the seven-time PGA Tour winner was praised for even making comments after a poor round instead of just scurrying to his courtesy car and slamming his trunk. But he’s glad he did, because he’s been blown away by the support he’s received since.

?? Billy Horschel was in tears today after an opening round 84: “My confidence is the lowest it's been in my entire career. I think ever in my entire golf career. It's funny, as low as it feels, it feels like I'm not that far off at the same time…”
pic.twitter.com/dJvhVMM8Cc

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 2, 2023

“It’s been pretty, pretty amazing to see the people reached out to me and, and you know, just sending messages and, you know, the messages themselves were great,” Horschel said. “But the thing that meant more to me is people taking time out of their day, even if it’s for 30 seconds to write a simple text message and, you know, try to help me out and everything. It’s pretty cool and I appreciate everything. It’s been surreal to see.”

Horschel’s words didn’t just reach the people in his life, but the golf community at large. There were many on social media who appreciated one of the best golfers on the planet seeming more relateable than ever.

“Listen, we all struggle at this game and I’m not the first PGA Tour pro to play bad for an extended stretch,” Horschel continued. “There are some people that think we should play well every week right. But golf’s a tough game. Life’s a tough game. So I think just the struggle alone, whether it be golf, whether it be life or anything that you’re doing and you’re putting the work in and you have a lot of passion for, and love for, you’re not getting anything out of it. It’s gonna wear on you, grind on you. And I think a lot of people can resonate with that.”

And since that low point, there have already been positive signs that the 2014 FedEx Cup champ is rounding back into form. He followed up that 84 at Muirfield Village with a 72. Then after opening last week’s US Open with 73, he fired a Friday 67 to make the cut, eventually finishing T-41.

“It’s getting there,” the 36-year-old Horschel said of his golf game. “Still need to continue to hit some good shots and more regularly, but it’s starting to turn around. Just gotta stay patient and not try to get ahead of myself.”

One thing’s for certain is that if and when Horschel does win again, he’ll have more fans rooting for him than ever before.

The post Billy Horschel appreciates all the support since opening up about his struggles, says golf game is ‘getting there’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Billy Horschel hit two greens in regulation on Thursday at the Memorial Tournament — or as many times as he hit his ball in a single stroke during a miserable round that had the defending champion fighting back tears in the aftermath.

One year after registering one of the more satisfying wins of his career, Horschel said he never felt lower after struggling to a 12-over 84 at sun-scorched Muirfield Village Golf Club. The former FedEx Cup champion wasn’t the only player to struggle on a sweltering afternoon, or the only player who failed to break 80, but the complete breakdown of his swing left him utterly deflated.

"I'll go out there and give it my all like I always do."

Transparency and raw emotion from defending champion Billy Horschel after an opening round 84. pic.twitter.com/4Cx7r6hmPL

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2023

“My confidence is the lowest it’s been in my entire career — I think ever in my entire golf career,” Horschel said, graciously stopping to talk to the media after signing his card. “So it’s funny, as low as it feels, it feels like I’m not that far off at the same time. Which is insane to see when you see me shoot 84 today. It doesn’t, it wouldn’t make sense to a lot of people. But I don’t think I’m that far off.”

Shut out on birdies while suffering three double-bogeys and six bogeys, Horschel shot the highest opening round by a defending champion in tournament history, surpassing the 80 that Jim Simons posted to start his title defence in 1979.

It won’t make him feel any better, but other past winners have had their own trying times at Muirfield Village, where water is in play on 13 holes. Five-time champion Tiger Woods cratered to a third-round 85 in 2015. Will McGirt won the 2016 Memorial and then shot a final-round 83 the following year. And inaugural winner Roger Maltbie skied to a 92 in the famed second round of the 1979 Memorial when the wind chill dropped temperatures to 13 degrees.

Compounding the problem — or perhaps because of his problems — Horschel and playing partners Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama, who also are past Memorial winners, were put on the clock for slow play.

“Listen, I’m making a big number on every single hole it seems like. I’m struggling every hole,” Horschel said. “The group in front of us played quick and we got … I was taking a lot of extra shots than what we normally would do. I mean, we got warned at No. 13, but we, I think we were back in position by No. 15 tee.”

In between, he made double bogey at the short par-4 14th hole that included a chunked fourth shot from a steep lie just above the greenside water hazard. He later revealed that he double hit it, which in the past would have resulted in a penalty.

It was that kind of day in a year that has been a disappointment. Horschel, 36, has only two top-10 finishes this 2022-23 season, but missed the cut at both The Players and the PGA Championship. He closed with a 79 at the Masters to fall to 52nd place. His scoring average of 71.20 ranks 162nd on tour this season and he is currently 108th in the FedEx Cup standings, far removed from the top 70 that will make the playoffs.

“I need the swing to be a little bit better. I need to do a few more things a little bit better,” the seven-time tour winner said. “I just need to see a few more quality golf shots, and that’s just what I haven’t had. And it’s tough when you come to a course like this and you need to be precise tee to green and I’m not really precise right now from tee to green.”

At one point during his interview, he paused for at least a half-minute to compose himself. A year ago, Horschel put together a brilliant third-round 65 to forge a five-shot lead and he went on to win by four. He talked about trying to finish off a victory the way Woods would finish them. He talked about building on that strong performance that helped him make his first US Presidents Cup team.

Reaching new heights makes the falls harder to take, hurt more. Horschel was hurting. He vowed to get up off the turf.

“As much as I would love to throw in the towel and not come out tomorrow, that’s just not in me,” he said. “I’m just not one of those players. There’s plenty of those guys out here on tour that would make an excuse about being injured and everything. But I’ll show up and I’ll go out there and give it my all like I always do and try and find something, try and play well, and move on. I mean, it’s a day and I’ve had plenty of these days this year. Not this bad, but it’s just a day.

“Yeah, it’s a challenge out there, there’s no doubt about it,” he added. “But like I said, I’ll keep plugging away and I’ll keep pushing forward, and I’ll keep grinding hard, I’ll keep working hard and hopefully it [expletive] comes around soon.”

He apologised for letting the expletive slip out. No need. It was his straightest shot all day.

The post An emotional Billy Horschel fights back tears after shooting 84, says his ‘confidence is lowest it’s been’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Billy Horschel raced into the early Honda Classic lead with an opening five-under round of 65. It was a marked shift from his form coming into the event, which featured two missed cuts, a T-30 and a T-32 in his last four starts. The issue, Horschel explained earlier in the week, lay in his swing.

Knowing two of his season’s starts would feature newly increased purses, Horschel and his coach Todd Anderson went to work on his swing in the off-season, trying to find something a little extra. Noticing some inconsistencies in his accuracy, the pair worked on trying to keep Horschel’s upper body more centred at the top of his backswing by altering his set-up and combat his tendency of moving his upper body off the ball slightly.

But Horschel has not been loving the early returns and not feeling comfortable, so the Honda Classic presented the first lower-stakes opportunity to change strategies. They tried a different approach that helped his upper body stay more central in a more comfortable way.

“What Todd Anderson and I did on Monday going back to some of the old stuff felt really natural right away,” he said after his first round. “I’ve got to do golf swing maintenance, but I have to be smart about it.”

There’s plenty of golf left to play this season, of course, and in golf’s newfound era of elevating certain events over others to grab maximum eyeballs, it’d be ironic if the game-changing moment for a player like Horschel came on one of its lower profile events.

Drive for show…

Joseph Bramlett prepares to hit his second shot on the eighth hole during the first round of the Honda Classic. Sam Greenwood

Joseph Bramlett has long been one of those “if only he could figure out X part of his game” guys. Off the tee, Bramlett has some wicked speed — he finished seventh on the PGA Tour in driving distance last season, and fifth in overall ball speed — yet he actually lost more than half a stroke with his driver. Translation: He hits the ball far, but everywhere.
Bramlett hit almost 60 per cent of his fairways during his first round, so it’s no surprise to see him co-leading with Horschel at five-under. It goes to show just how high the ceiling is for bombers with raw speed like Bramlett, and how indispensible it is rein it in.

A boring one-under round

Speaking of keeping your ball in the fairway and playing steady golf, Aaron Wise registered a crazy scorecard during his first round. The card reads one-under, but the round featured four water balls, a hole-out from the fairway for eagle, and zero two putts.

Quantity and quality

Sungjae Im. Eakin Howard

Finally, while most of golf’s top players are taking the week off before Bay Hill and the Players Championship rolls around, workhorse Sungjae Im is teeing it up at the Honda. Im has played a whopping 122 PGA Tour events over his past four seasons, and the Honda marks his 10th start already this season.
But more important than the quantity is the quality. After a T-4 and T-6 in the Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open, respectively, his three-under 67 on Thursday leaves him T-7 heading into the second round. It’s noteworthy early season form for a man who tends to play well at the year’s first major coming up in April.

The post Honda Classic: Billy Horschel’s backswing, Joseph Bramlett’s wild driving, and Sungjae Im remains the tour’s marathon man appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“You talk about a real rivalry, one that would have real animosity, and that would be it,” McCord said recently to Golf Digest.

Justin Thomas, who has quickly become a stalwart of US Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams, loves the idea about as much as a plugged lie in a bunker. Actually, it sounds like he would take plugged lies all week at Quail Hollow Club in the 14th Presidents Cup rather than appear in a match against peers who have moved to the new league.

Asked if he would consider competing in such an event, Thomas bluntly said, “No. Don’t see the need to.”

One of the more outspoken players on behalf of the PGA Tour, Thomas, in his facial expression and body language, could not have looked more disinterested in the prospect. Thomas famously said in May to players thinking of jumping to LIV Golf: “Look, if you want to go, go.”

He wasn’t feeling any more inclusive on Tuesday about sharing a fairway with the departed. “They’re more than happy doing what they’re doing, and we’re doing great what we’re doing,” he said. “So just don’t see the need for it.”

Billy Horschel. Warren Little

Though he agreed with Thomas in principle, Billy Horschel, a rookie on the US team this week and another outspoken supporter of the PGA Tour (he’s a member of the Player Advisory Council) was more open to the question. And he hinted that it’s something players have talked about among themselves.

“There was this conversation, I don’t know when it was, and it was discussed,” Horschel said. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind playing in it, but at the same time, you’ve got to look at things. What would the PGA Tour benefit from that? Nothing. If we win, we’re supposed to win. If we lose, it looks bad on the PGA Tour. So it’s really a lose-lose for the PGA Tour in that situation, and LIV’s got everything to gain from it.”

Still, he said he would welcome the opportunity.

“As a player, we’re all competitive, and I have great relationships with a lot of those guys and I would love to compete with them,” Horschel said. “I was looking forward to playing the Presidents Cup and maybe getting paired against Cam Smith, who’s a really good friend of mine. If somehow there was a little LIV-PGA Tour competition, I would love that. I would love to play against Cam Smith or one of my good friends, Ian Poulter or something like that.”

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The post Justin Thomas is a hard ‘no’ on a PGA Tour v LIV Golf team match, but Billy Horschel up for the fight appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.